flagg



(No Model.)

P. H. F'LAGG SHOE.

No. 463,784. Patented NovyZ l, 1891.

Mrs

FRED l-I. FLAGG, OF XVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE.

SPECIFICATIOIQT forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,734, datedNovember 24, 1891.

Application filed January 21, 1891. Serial No. 378,517- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED H. FLAGG, of the city and county of lVorcesterand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Congress Shoes; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of so muchof the upper part of a Congress shoe as is necessary to illustrate mysaid invention. Fig. 2 is an opposite side View thereof; and Fig. 3 is asimilar View to Fig. 1, showing one side of the upper part of the shoepartly open to more fully illustrate my improvement, and a modificationin the construction hereinafter described. Fig. 4 is a cross-section ofthe slit gore and bindings to show the overlapping edges.

My invention relates to an improvement in the elastic side gores ofCongress shoes; and it consists in slitting or cutting said goresvertically from the top down and providing .the edges thereof withsuitable bindings and ball-and-socket detachable clasps or fastenings,as and for the purpose hereinafter fully set forth.

As is well known, Congressshoeshavingtight elastic gores are difficultto draw on, and, being continually stretched to their full capacity inperforming said operation soon causes the rubber threads to be broken,so that the gores present an unsightly appearance, besides notfitting'the ankle of the wearer. Not only is this result produced bystretching in the above manner, but much injury to the gores alsoresults from the same cause in pulling out the last, as well as the heeland finishing jacks in the process of manufacture, said gores beingunduly stretched there by, and in consequence often greatly injuringtheir future .utility. To remove this objection and to produce a shoewhich maybe put on easily, as well as which shall wear well, is the mainpurpose of my invention.

In order that others may more fully understand the nature and purpose ofsaid invention,I will now proceed to describe it more in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings.

shown in the drawings.

The parts marked A represent the upper part or leg of the shoe, and B Bthe side gores thereof, which in practice are designed to be made of theusual elastic material,

In carrying out my invention in practice one or both of said side goresare cut or slit vertically at about the center from the top down tonearly or quite the bottom of the gore, as desired. The edges are thenbound with leather or other suitable material a, with one edgeoverlapping the other, as Said bound edges to are then provided withfastening devices, whereby they may be conveniently fastened together toclose the side of the shoe and as readily unfastened in removing saidshoe. For this purpose I use the ordinary ball-andsocket clasp devices 0cl shown in the drawings, which, as will be observed, are similar tothose used on gloves for alike purpose,

. and which hold the edges securely when thus fastened. They arefastened by simply pressing the sockets (1 against and over the balls 0and unfastened by pulling upon the edge of the gore to which saidsockets are attached, the sockets being, as is well known, made withtheir openings a little small for the balls, so that when forced oversaid balls the parts are held sufficiently secure to hold the edgestogether, while at the same time admitting of their being readilydetached, as aforesaid, by pulling upon the overlapping edge of thesplit gore. One or both sides of the shoe may be constructed inaccordance with my invention,as desired, without departing from theprinciple thereof.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that my invention is applicableto shoes already made, as the gores thereof may be slit from the topdownward and then be suitably bound to produce the overlapping edgesabove referred to; but to produce these overlapping edges where a simplecut or slit has been made it will be obvious that it will be necessaryto build out one or both edges with the binding, as otherwise the outedges will simply meet when drawn together and no provision would beafforded for the ball-and socket fastening devices, the latter of whichmust overlap the former. This building out on one or both of the outedges with the binding material a, which is preferably of leather,

is an important feature of my invention, as it enables me to use theball-and-socket fastening devices, which could not otherwise be employedin gores in shoes already made, or, in fact, with any gores not madefrom two separate pieces which might of themselves be overlapped. Fig. 4more clearly shows the feature above referred to, the edge at the rightin said figure and which is to carry the socket member of the fasteningbeing built out over the other edge, so as to overlap the latterproperly.

A Congress shoe with the gores made as herein set forth it is obviousmay be drawn on very easily, and the usual strain upon the elasticmaterial being removed said gores will last much longer than if suchprovision were not made, thus greatly enhancing the utility of the shoesat a trifling additional expense in their manufacture.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to employ slit gores fastened atthe edges in the construction of Congress shoes; nor is it new to fastentwo edges of other articles together by means of ball-and-socket claspdevices, and I therefore limit my invention to a Congress shoe havingelastic slit gores and clasp devices at the bound edges at each side ofthe slits or openings, as and for the purpose herein set forth.

Having now described my invention, what I claim therein as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A Congress shoe having a side gore consisting of asingle piece ofelastic fabric which is out or slit vertically from its top downwardnearly, but not entirely, to itslower edge, and having its adjacent cutedges bound, and one of said edges being built out bythe bindingmaterial, so that it will overlap the other, combined with ball and-sock et fastenings, the latter of which are attached to the outeroverlapping edge, substantially as set forth.

FRED II. FLAGG.

Witnesses:

ALBERT A. BARKER, W. B. NOURSE.

